i invite you to turn tonight to the second book in the new testament the gospel of mark the gospel of mark end of chapter one and we're working into now chapter two one verse 40 and we'll read through verse 12 of chapter two it marks a significant climax already in mark's gospel tonight and the book will go in somewhat of a different focus after this but tonight as we come to this paralytic, this is a big moment as Mark sees it in his gospel. So let's consider together verses 1, verse 40, and we'll read through 2, 12. This is the word of the Lord. And a leper came to him, imploring him and kneeling, said to him, if you will, you can make me clean. Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, I will be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him and he was made clean and jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once and said to him see that you say nothing to anyone but go show yourself to the priests and offer for your cleansing what moses commanded for proof to them but he went out and began to talk freely about it and to spread the news so that jesus could no longer openly enter a town but was out in the desolate places and people were coming to him from every quarter and when he returned to Capernaum after some days it was reported that he was at home and many were gathered together so that there was no more room not even at the door and he was preaching the word to them and they came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men and when they when they could not get near him because of the crowd they removed the roof above him and when they had made an opening they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic son your sins are forgiven now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts why does this man speak like that he's blaspheming who can forgive sins but god alone and immediately jesus perceived in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves and said to them why do you question these things in your hearts which is easier to say to the paralytic your sins are forgiven or to say rise take up your bed and walk but that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins he said to the paralytic i say to you rise pick up your bed and go home and he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all so that they were all amazed and glorified god saying we never saw anything like this may the lord bless the hearing of his word well there has been much recent discussion about what the gospel is how gospel is used it still it still surprises me that here in 2015 that same discussion is happening that people are still struggling with what the gospel is people don't really know what the gospel is i just heard last week a candidate for a ministry for the ministry was asked on the floor of a classist uh what is the gospel and he said to his his churches no one can really answer that well you're supposed to go out and preach it you better know what it is right i mean that is something to hear that and and tonight we're sort of getting a real clear understanding of what that is certainly gospel is used different ways in scripture but however we speak of gospel the scriptures are clear that the gospel has to do with the person and the work of jesus christ in history on behalf of sinners to release them and forgive their sins and that comes about through the shedding of blood without which there is no remission gospel shedding of blood should go in the next phrase if we lose that primary drive if we lose that primary emphasis of the life the death the resurrection of jesus christ nothing else will really be all that good for us this is really important make sure we understand that tonight if we lose that primary emphasis if we don't understand the gospel as defined in the person and the work of jesus christ in his life his death his resurrection we won't have anything else that means that is very good for us nothing else will have meaning apart from that i say that because i believe mark is helping us to understand this tonight in light of the terrible confusion that went on in jesus's day over his presence and over what the gospel was. This is not new. This is not new. The same confusion we see today was the confusion that we see right out of the gates with Jesus' ministry. People misunderstood him. People didn't share the same view of gospel that he had. In other words, the people had a different gospel agenda for Jesus than Jesus did for them. And that really is opened up for us tonight. It really is opened up for us tonight. Mark really does display for us the drive and purpose of Jesus's coming. In fact, I would suggest that the passage we have before us is the thesis after the thesis in the book. What do I mean by that? Well, in chapter one, when Jesus came and said, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, saying the time is fulfilled, the kingdom is at hand repent and believe the gospel now he shows us in his earthly ministry the first time somebody repenting and believing the gospel you have the display here of the heart of his mission you have the display here about what his coming was all about in the midst of terrible confusion about that which is nothing new so what is before us tonight is the revealing of his purpose and the drive of his preaching so that you should all ask the very important question, do I share in the very same vision that Jesus had in his gospel ministry for me? Or is my agenda for him something far different? An important question. This evening shows us that confusion. Jesus' clear display that his coming was to bring about forgiveness of sins forgiveness of sins the principal aim of his gospel ministry and i want to look at these two sections here and i want to put them together tonight to show you how they demonstrate that purpose together and you'll look at that we'll notice tonight in the healing of the leper and jesus's identification with sinners and the healing of the paralytic and Jesus's authority to forgive sins. As we enter the scene again, it's helpful to understand where we are. A great problem has been presented for Jesus. If you haven't noticed in Mark chapter one, this is quite a chapter, a long chapter. He can't go anywhere now out in the open. This has really sort of hamstrung the ministry, if you think about it, from an outward perspective he first went into the synagogue and after that single event his fame that's the word that was used his fame had spread everywhere so that everyone wants to get near this jesus you'll remember even the demons they said are subject to him they were amazed at his power they'd never seen anything like this we keep getting this astonishment this wow factor of him that's what you get from the people well the next scene after the synagogue scene he's in capernaum at peter's mother notice at peter's house and his mother-in-law is sick so that by the time she's healed the whole city was at the door and he goes late into the night casting out demons and healing people's sicknesses well now we started the next day and he's been up praying early in the morning his disciples have been looking for him they find him and and and you get the sense of what they're asking jesus what are you doing we need to get back this is really going well for your ministry this is really successful all the people are on board with you all the people are excited about you we've got to get back and in a glaring contrast Jesus says, no, let's move on. I've got to go preach. But that's why I came. Something's captured there in Jesus' statement that we need to understand about preaching and Him emphasizing this is the reason that He was moving about in His earthly ministry. I think at this point it's fair to say the multitudes really weren't after his preaching, were they? Isn't that a fair assessment so far, Mark? He's kind of become a free health care provider. He really has relieved demonic bondage in people's lives. But they haven't made the connection yet. They have not made the connection. They haven't understood the purpose yet. And we looked at this last time, though these were important to his mission as the Son of God, to set people free, to bear burdens, to carry sicknesses. He's fulfilling Isaiah, but there's an order and an importance to his mission that needed to be understood, that made these things possible. What good is it just to be out healing diseases? What good is it to come to be a free health care provider? What good is it to release demons? You know the story where that happened and then seven more came and filled the man. In other words, you know that people who were healed got sick again. Lazarus, who had been raised up, died again. Something ultimately had to be accomplished and it was his preaching, his proclamation that was making this known. It was the aim of his proclamation. It was the goal of his proclamation. In other words, Paul understood about Jesus when he said, woe is me if I do not preach Christ and Him crucified, that that was Jesus' aim in His own preaching. And if you want to see that, look at Luke 24. So we're going somewhere in Mark's Gospel. And I believe it's unveiled before us in these next two events that now take place. We read in verse 40. You'll notice there in verse 40, and a leper came to Him, imploring him and kneeling, said to him, If you will, you can make me clean. Mark doesn't get into the details of this fast-moving event. You'll notice immediately again there in verse 42. It's remarkable the way that Mark records the event. It's quite moving. This man comes to Christ against all the ceremonial laws that, remember, respectfully, if he is, he asks the Lord respectfully if he's willing to make them clean. But according to Levitical law, according to Leviticus, lepers were excluded from entering towns. Listen to what that verse says. This is Leviticus 13. Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn, his head bare, he shall cover his mustache, and you know this, you've heard this, he shall cry unclean, unclean, he shall be unclean, All the days he has a sore, he shall be unclean. He is unclean and shall dwell alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp. An awful disease. Modern medicines have almost all but eliminated it. It was foul smelling. It was disgusting. Infectious disease characterized by large scabs and sores where the skin would turn white and eventually parts of the body would fall off. We have something here, though, captured outwardly in the way that this man came to Jesus, which I really like. Respectful. If you're willing, you can make me clean. The compassion of our Lord is put on display. It's just beautiful. The Lord is, and notice the emphasis here, He is completely willing. I said last time, that's the beauty of what Mark is showing us. It's his desire to do this for people. It was at this that I remember reading years ago James Boyce and always caught, he kept saying this over and over and over and it always sort of troubled me. Can we really say that? And I thought, yes, we can say this. That it is, he always used to say, God would give us everything now if we could handle it. That's how good he is. What a powerful display here of his compassion. In his compassion, now imagine this. You're not supposed to be near lepers. He reaches out his hand and he touches him. The imagery of that. Who dared touch a leper? No one ever embraced a leper. you know the power of touch you know the importance of embrace you you know the importance of of love and a family that is so important people who are alone and never hugged and never loved and never touched what an awful thing to go through this is the imagery he touches him Now, no one was allowed to just do this, of course. Touching that kind of uncleanness. Unclean, unclean, he was supposed to say. Whatever sort of uncleanness it may be with which one becomes unclean, you'll notice here, Jesus is the one who took the initiative. He stretched out his hand and he touched him. And then he said, I will be clean. I thought about that. One pastor said something that was really beautiful that the ceremonial laws gave way to the law of love. But even more so, he's the high priest. Notice that emphasis, go show yourself to the priest according to the law of Moses. Here's the high priest. Here's the one with the power of an indestructible life and he has come to be the sin bearer. he's come to the defiled and and and who the one who knew no sin uh corinthians says became sin for us he's carrying this this is an embrace it's a gospel declaration of his open willingness to identify with us and take the guilt take the shame take the defilement I'm willing. I'm willing to do that for you. That's what he's saying. And as soon as he said it, gone. If you've ever seen a leper in stages, I mean, the restoration must have been powerful to observe. A beautiful illustration of his gospel work, of his substitution. But here's the problem. But Jesus, and it's a very emphatic statement here, He commands him sternly, I don't want you saying anything. It's a really strong emphasis. You go to the priest. You know the reason for the silence by now? He had to move on from Capernaum to get away from the crowds because of the vast and overwhelming misunderstanding of his purpose and his mission. and now the text, it doesn't leave us with the impression that the way this man came was jiving, you'll notice this, with an understanding of his need, his true need. In other words, something was wrong here. The emphasis is on his disobedience to what Jesus just said, and it's a glaring emphasis on his disobedience. He went out and he told everyone against the explicit command of the Lord to say nothing so that now Jesus can no longer go to any cities. He is stuck now out in the desert. Now you stop from something like that and you say, well, what just happened? Well, it's not just the problem of his fame. It's not just his fame. I can't help but think of the 10 lepers in Luke. Remember? He cleansed 10 of them at once. All of them were cleansed. And he told this, you remember. And the puzzling statement that when they were all cleansed, one of them, one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned. And with a loud voice glorified God and fell down at his feet and give him thanks. And Jesus says, Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? When one understood that he was healed, when one understood who this was and what he had done for him, he couldn't help but come back to the true high priest. Why go to a lesser priest? The demonstration of healing power was saying something else. And he knew it. He knew it. In our text, Mark is saying, look at his identification with sinners and their missing and their misunderstanding of that. But this has opened the door to preach and multitudes now have come to him in every direction and this is where I want to get tonight. he comes back to capernaum he again enters peter's house immediately so many have entered together in the house that there is no room not even at the door this place is packed out fire marshals would be going crazy mark says he was preaching the word to them as his preaching occurs as his preaching goes on these four men are carrying this paralytic everyone's ready for this i mean this is really a climactic event so far in mark's gospel let's be honest i'm sure they liked his preaching but to be sure they were there for the signs this had always been the problem in his in his ministry they had never seen anything like this before keep in mind now the scribes are sitting there in verse 6 they are observing it they've heard about this boy they've their dander is up about him they've come to see the new guy in town they want to verify this miracle worker the deputies are there everyone has gathered now for the great show imagine this for a moment loads of people have come all the people are there now for a new event jesus is preaching last time he preached there was the showdown with the demon back in capernaum now all of a sudden he's preaching in peter's house and all of a sudden as he's preaching you could you could feel the clay pieces starting to drop down on you what a distraction in the middle of the sermon again this guy's used to sermon distractions now right the lord is used to him on his earthly walk the demons have cried out distracting his preaching and now this all of a sudden the roof is pulled back and everyone looks up the crowd is looking all up and there is a man being lowered down on a mat front and center right in front of jesus and everyone's saying aha here we go this is what we're after mark has something different to emphasize verse 5 when he saw their faith this should be a big moment in mark's gospel we haven't had that yet first time this way faith he's all on faith he has just witnessed faith the man said nothing by the way the man is bound up the man's disease is so bad he can't speak he can't walk he can't come all jesus can do all Jesus does here is look right into that man's heart which is so profound isn't it and he sees his faith he sees their belief he looks into his heart and in compassion says son forgiven are your sins in one moment in time Jesus just blotted out this man's sins forever and forgave him he let them go as far as the east is from the west now if you're the crowd that day you're sitting there you're standing there you've not appreciated why he's come what he's doing what a letdown I mean you can't validate that nor can you just say that is that all he's going to do is that all he's going to do I mean how do you validate that how do you how in the world can I see that his sins are forgiven And Mark gives us some indication that this caused a great stir in the house. I mean, we read the scribes are sitting there and Jesus is reading hearts. He's reading all hearts. They don't even have to say a word. He looks into their hearts and it records that. It's remarkable. You know this is the Son of God, by the way, it's recorded. He is reading hearts. The scribes are sitting there saying, blasphemy! No one can do that except God. Boy, did they get that right. I mean, you really have come to the point where many have made this observation that this was either a madman or this was God, right? Somebody who's not truly God could never run around saying that without committing blasphemy. I don't have the authority and power in myself to go around and tell you that I have wiped out your sins. I mean, think about that. Do you see the problem here? That is worthy of stoning at this point. Now you see where Mark has taken you. We just got to the heart of Jesus' ministry. We just got to the heart of the gospel. It took a bit to get here, but none of the healing, none of the casting out of demons mattered anything without Jesus coming to remedy the severe alienation between God and man. None of it mattered. The ultimate need was forgiveness. And Jesus was after that. Oh, that's so important to say. Forgiving sins is what drove the Son of God in His ministry. When it says repent and believe the Gospel, Mark just showed you what it looks like. Repent and believe in the remission of sins. Forgiveness, letting go. One of my favorite statements of John Calvin, the favorite statement, is this. Many other things are undoubtedly contained in the gospel, but the principal object which God intends to accomplish by it is to receive men into favor by not imputing their sins. If, therefore, we wish to show that we are faithful ministers of the Gospel, we must give our most earnest attention to this subject. For the chief point of difference between the Gospel and all other heathen philosophy lies in this. That the Gospel makes the salvation of men to consist in the forgiveness of sins through free grace. that's the drive that's the beauty of the gospel what is Christianity without that just another heathen philosophy what is Jesus to you without forgiveness now here's what troubles me the people had not gathered to Jesus for this reason they didn't even understand they needed this i'm burdened by that and yet this was the principal reason he came and wanted to preach was to accomplish that to make known that purpose to make known that need what were all the people all about personal renovation that's what they all wanted so earthly so tied to this world so interested in what they wanted jesus to be for them to unleash in their present whatever their agendas were their kingdom agenda that they had for jesus whatever was to make their life validated to make them feel good to make them strong are we so different the forgiveness of sins often is not relevant when we've created a fantasy world of what we want to be in this life i have to be honest years ago i heard a an exam question of a candidate going into ministry and the question was when you're at the mall and you're i was thinking about going in the ministry at this time so i watched these exams and when you're at the mall and you see people mulling around and walking around, what do you see? And the candidate says, I don't know how to answer that. And I remember thinking to myself, dead men walking. It's Ezekiel. It's a valley of dry bones. And you go into the ministry to preach forgiveness of sins by free grace. This is the principal aim. This is the principal object of gospel ministry. Do you know that's been the hardest thing to hold on to? i've been astonished at this in 12 years it's the hardest thing to hold on to i look at endless reform debates about the law endless debates over this and that it's like we have no priority anymore it's like we've lost the priority all because people want to be practical really where's the joy to hear son forgiven are your sins do you understand the value do you understand the cost of that do you understand your greatest need i wonder you see how many people in the church today are like the people of jesus's day that this is really not the reason they come to church we could have a million reasons people come to church they come for tradition's sake they come for parents they come because they feel compelled and yet inside they're always yearning for something more something better they're never quite satisfied ever with a ministry of reconciliation that just is not really the priority of why they come to church they don't really want that i mean i was listening to a pastor this last week who was describing his problem as a baby boomer and he observed that in the new york times a few years back there was an article about baby boomers and in the article it said baby boomers hit another milestone of self-absorption nursing some disappointment over how their lives are turning out they feel self-absorbed the self-absorbed feel less self-fulfilled and thus are wracked with self-pity the new york times that's the church in america do you think people self-absorbed full of self-pity finding no self-fulfillment dissatisfied with how their lives are going want to hear from jesus forgiven or your sins? That offers nothing that they can see. It offers them nothing that exciting for the moment, they think. It offers them no power that requires to live by faith when we've all been taught in the U.S. to live by sight. It grieves me that God in His tender mercies and His loving kindness knowing we were all on the fast track to hell put his own son here to undergo the fiercest wrath to make known to us a way of escape to set us free from bondage to daily help us in our weakness and distress because of sin constantly inviting us to the throne of grace to come be cleansed from all unrighteousness because of sin and we yawn. Full of apathy. I'm just as guilty. We act like it's no big thing. Maybe the greatest offense to the resurrected Christ is an apathetic and careless attitude to His excruciating sorrow to come and endure your sin which we call gospel. But let it be seen here that on His mind, thesis after the thesis in Mark was a call to repentance and faith in the gospel. This is what is built up at the end of chapter 1 as we head into chapter 2, reaching a climax already in Mark's gospel to show you what the gospel is in the gospel of Mark. To understand the purpose and drive of his entire presence here on earth and the ushering forth of his kingdom was shown in the forgiveness of your sins. What think ye about your sins? And what think ye about forgiveness? And what think ye about the Christ? If that be accomplished, you're guaranteed all of your other problems are solved in the resurrection. If that is accomplished, all your other problems are solved in the resurrection. But he is after faith. Faith in the heart to believe in His person and work. So in front of them all, knowing many are there uninterested in this purpose for which He came, knowing many have accused Him of blasphemy in their hearts, He asks a simple question. Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven, or to say, rise, take up your bed and walk? In other words, I know you think it's easy for me just to cheaply say, forgiven are your sins. I know that's how you view what I'm doing here. I know that's your attitude to my mission. I know that's what you think. You roll your eyes saying in your hearts, yeah, right, who can validate that? So I'll tell you what, I'll do the greater thing, what you think is greater in your eyes. I'll do that for you. I'm going to heal him right now. And when you see him get up, you know no man can do what I'm about to do. But when you see him get up, you should realize this is God who is doing this and has the authority to forgive sins. That you may know that the Son of Man has authority to do this. He said to the paralytic, I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home. And he rose immediately, immediately, picked up his bed, went out before them all so that they were all amazed and glorified God saying we never saw anything like that. it was all validated. He just did it to prove He has the authority to forgive. It's sad that, you know, demons recognized Him for who He was and what He had come to do. Look at the struggle of the people. They didn't understand that what they thought was some flippant, cheap forgiveness message was actually required something much greater than they would ever understand. It required the excruciating death of the Son of God where the wrath would be poured on His body and soul. A perfect life and then the payment to be made. That was a hard thing to accomplish. I'm not sure how many people got it that day, but I know one did. Imagine the joy that filled this man right then and there to know that he was forgiven forever. To know that the weight of sin that had laid heavy upon him that had brought him down, that had burdened him having the guilt of being carried by his friends, imagine in a moment he had been comforted by the tender words of the good shepherd, take courage, son. Son, feel your love. Son, forgiven are your sins. And in a moment it was all released. Gone forever. And that man's with the Lord today. Notice Jesus didn't stop him from speaking. Why? He's not going to go talk about his legs. He's going to go tell everyone the wonderful things that God had done for him in forgiving his sins. I met a man today. His name is Jesus Christ. He's the Son of God. He gave me the greatest treasure anyone could ever give. Himself. And He forgave me. That is what Jesus desires to accomplish for you. May joy inexpressible and full of glory, as Peter says, may that joy fill your hearts in gratitude that he has solved your greatest problem. All you ever needed, all that you ever will need, was accomplished by him fully and completely in his life, death, and resurrection. And today he says, whosoever believes in him, son, on his authority, forgiven are your sins. Let's pray. How wonderful, Lord. How shallow we are. Forgive us for being so shallow. Forgive us for being dull to this announcement as if there's something greater. You've loved us with an everlasting love shown that you gave your best. This was his great desire when he walked on this earth. Forgive us our sins so that we might live in the joy of this comfort. I pray that everyone here tonight would leave so thankful to you. Believing, trusting, resting in the person and the work of Jesus Christ on behalf of sinners and knowing this week in the fruits of election, the fruits of what you've done, the gift of true faith, believing that our sins are all forgiven by free grace because of Christ. May that never, that principal object, that principal drive of the ministry you may never be lost here. And may your people always be full of joy to receive it. And may that extend to the ends of the earth today. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.